Written Answers

Tuesday 18 July 2000

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7805 by Ross Finnie on 23 June 2000, how many farm businesses received payments under both the Common Agricultural Policy Market Support arrangements and the Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance together totalling (a) £0 to £12,500; (b) £12,501 to £25,000; (c) £25,001 to £50,000; (d) £50,001 to £75,000; (e) £75,001 to £100,000; (f) £100,001 to £150,000; (g) £150,001 to £200,000; (h) £200,001 to £250,000 and (i) over £250,000, in scheme year 1999.

Ross Finnie: The number of farm businesses which received payments, for scheme year 1999, under both the Common Agricultural Policy Support arrangements and the Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance together as a total was as follows:

  


(a) £0 to £12,500


11,492




(b) £12,501 to £25,000


3,747




(c) £25,001 to £50,000


3,580




(d) £50,001 to £75,000


1,327




(e) £75,001 to £100,000


486




(f) £100,001 to £150,000


314




(g) £150,001 to £200,000


76




(h) £200,001 to £250,000


30




(i) over £250,000


23

Climate Change Levy

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to advise and inform individual businesses of (a) the impact of the climate change levy and (b) the eligibility criteria which they must meet in order to claim exemptions from this levy.

Henry McLeish: As part of an ongoing programme, the Scottish Energy Efficiency Office (SEEO) is endeavouring to make Scottish businesses aware of how the climate change levy will affect them and what they can do to mitigate its impact. Information on the CCL is being disseminated by way of seminars, other business events, press articles, the SEEO website, and the Enterprise Network. The SEEO is also working with the major energy suppliers in Scotland with a view to sending information on the CCL to their business customers. Included in the information being disseminated is advice on how electricity from qualifying renewable energy sources and good quality Combined Heat and Power schemes is exempt from the levy.

Education

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list any meetings which have taken place between Ministers and representatives of the seven grant-aided special educational needs schools in Scotland since the publication of the report of the Advisory Committee on the Education of Children with Severe Low Incidence Disabilities.

Mr Sam Galbraith: I visited Donaldson’s College on 1 November 1999 and my colleague, Peter Peacock, has attended two meetings of the SEN Advisory Forum at which the Headteacher of the Royal Blind School has also been present. In addition, Scottish Executive officials have had two rounds of meetings with representatives of all seven schools to discuss the transitional arrangements.

Education

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why funding for the Scottish School Board Association’s Grapevine publication has been withdrawn.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The decision to withdraw funding for Grapevine was taken following a review of funding priorities in light of current budget pressures.

Employment

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to ensure that home workers in Scotland receive equality of treatment with those in the conventional workplace.

Henry McLeish: Employment rights are a matter reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the United Kingdom Government on a wide range of issues, including home working.

Enterprise

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government regarding the bringing forward of the landing craft contracts for Ailsa Troon shipbuilders in order to reduce the prospect of redundancies at the yard.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues and MoD are aware of the importance of this order to Ailsa Troon.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average age is of Scottish fishing vessels and how this compares with the average age of fishing vessels in other EU member states.

Mr John Home Robertson: Data on the ages of active, Scottish-based fishing vessels are set out in Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics (table 5 and Annex A), the latest version of which was published in September 1999. Copies are available in SPICe and the Scottish Executive website.

  Analysis suggests the average age of active Scottish-based vessels over 10 metres is just over 21 years. The Scottish Executive has not carried out any comparison with the average age of vessels in other EU member states’ fleets, but the European Commission has published some data. I will have this placed in SPICe.

Fisheries

Mr John Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring has been carried out by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency of the effect of the issue of a licence for the use of Calicide on the marine environment.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has yet to undertake such monitoring. The process of issuing discharge consents for Calicide began only in January this year. I understand that the fish farming industry has so far purchased only a very small quantity of Calicide, so little, if any, has to date been used. The agency carries out monitoring at selected fish farms. Monitoring for Calicide will be included in that programme. In addition, the agency sets consents requiring self-monitoring for Calicide at selected fish farms, particularly at the larger rearing units, where the quantities of the compound discharged are likely to be significant.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to extend the powers of fishery boards and, if so, when and what the details of its plans are.

Mr John Home Robertson: A consultation paper outlining proposals for possible legislation to enhance conservation of salmon was issued on 5 June. Against the background of worrying stock declines, the proposals envisage the extension of the management powers of District Salmon Fishery Boards and, as a fall-back, those of the Scottish Executive.

  Copies of the consultation paper are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Comments have been invited by 2 August.

Fuel Costs

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what fuel costs have been incurred by the Scottish Executive and The Scottish Office annually since 1997 broken down by department.

Mr Jack McConnell: The fuel costs incurred by the Scottish Office from 1 April 1997 to 1 July 1999 and for the Scottish Executive from 1 July to 31 March 2000 are as follows:

  


Year


Electricity


Gas


Liquid Fuel


Total all Fuel




1997-98


£597,933.39


£235,989.82


£48,944.32


£882,867.53




1998-99


£581,153.40


£167,968.55


£62,561.66


£811,683.61




1999-2000


£552,961.47


£159,460.27


£65,239.86


£777,661.60




  It is not possible to break these costs down by department as some of the buildings are shared and departmental areas are not separately metered.

  The reductions have been achieved through securing best value for money and a range of energy efficiency measures. The Executive has carried out energy audits and has introduced staff awareness events, energy management programmes and planned maintenance projects to produce improved energy efficiency across the estate.

Fuel Costs

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice it has sought or obtained on whether providing any state aid, in excess of the de minimis limit, to a proposed Highland Transport Authority for the purpose of the retail sale of petrol and diesel would contravene EU rules on competition and whether it will ensure that this issue is considered in the consultant’s report on the issue of a transport authority for the Highlands.

Sarah Boyack: The purpose of the consultant’s study is to examine the case for establishing a Highlands and Islands Transport Authority. Considerations of the role an authority might fulfil on the distribution and sale of motoring fuel must await a decision on whether to establish such a body.

Fuel Costs

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to reduce or eliminate any burden of extra fuel costs in rural areas upon (a) motorists, (b) hauliers, (c) businesses, (d) local authorities and other public bodies and (e) petrol retailers.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive’s rural transport and public transport funds are providing significant additional resources to improve transport in rural Scotland. The Executive is currently undertaking an evaluation of the effectiveness of the rural transport fund, which is due to report in October 2000. This will inform decisions on future support for rural transport in this autumn’s Scottish Spending Review.

Health

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many diagnosed cases of ME there are in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: The precise information requested is not available centrally. An estimate based on the activity of 46 Scottish general practices for the year ended December 1999 suggests that about 6,400 individuals were seen by GPs in Scotland in 1999 for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME.

  This data is dependent on the diagnostic practice of individual GPs, some of whom recognise ME as a separate condition and some of whom do not. A diagnosis of CFS might therefore be applied to someone who might be diagnosed by another doctor as having ME. As a result it is not possible to isolate figures for ME alone.

Health

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued to doctors and other medical staff on the administration of vaccines for mumps and rubella after a child has been vaccinated for measles separately.

Susan Deacon: The Executive has issued no guidance on the administration of vaccines for mumps and rubella after a child has been vaccinated for measles separately.

  Single antigen measles vaccine is not a licensed product in the UK and its administration is a practice which is not recommended by recognised authorities, including the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which is the Independent Expert Committee which advises all the health departments in the UK on matters in relation to vaccinations.

Hepatitis C

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5627 by Susan Deacon on 11 April 2000, whether, if the fact-finding exercise currently being undertaken by officials into specific aspects of hepatitis C and other infections contracted through contaminated blood suggests that further action should be taken, an independent inquiry into the infection of haemophiliacs with hepatitis C products and other pathogens will be a possible course of action.

Susan Deacon: It would be premature to speculate on my conclusions before this report is released.

Hospitals

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what security arrangements are required to be in place in Scotland’s Acute Trust Hospitals.

Susan Deacon: It is the prime responsibility of individual health boards and NHS Trusts to ensure that property owned by the NHSiS is safe and secure. Security arrangements in the NHSiS should comply with current health planning guidance.

Influenza

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made towards establishing a national influenza immunisation programme.

Susan Deacon: As previously announced, people aged 65 and over should now be offered influenza immunisation, rather than aged 75 and over as before. This expansion of immunisation will place a significant extra workload on general practice.

  For winter 2000-01, we have agreed new financial arrangements with the Scottish General Practitioners Committee of the BMA to recognise the workload and to encourage better take-up in the community.

  GPs will receive payments ranging from £6 to £7.40 per dose administered to those aged 65 and over. The higher payments will be made to those who immunise the highest percentage of their eligible patients. GPs will also offer vaccination to the non-age related at risk groups. In addition, as part of the agreement the 1% abatement to GPs’ capitation payments as part of the stock order scheme has been abolished.

Justice

Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has the powers to introduce legislation to create new powers of confiscation of the assets of convicted and/or suspected drug dealers.

Angus MacKay: Current confiscation powers are set out in the Proceeds of Crime (Scotland) Act 1995. Current civil forfeiture powers are set out in the Drug Trafficking Act 1994. The criminal law is generally devolved. Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998 indicates that the Proceeds of Crime (Scotland) Act 1995 is reserved insofar as it relates to drug trafficking; but does not mention the Drug Trafficking Act 1994. The Scottish Executive is liasing closely with the Government about asset confiscation and recovering the proceeds of crime more generally. Future legislation is likely to be on an all crimes basis.

Lingerbay Quarry

Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7729 by Sarah Boyack on 21 June 2000, why it considers that it would not be appropriate to provide the names and departments requested.

Sarah Boyack: The decision not to provide the names and departments requested is based on the principle that Ministers are responsible and accountable for the decisions and actions of their departments.

Lip Reading

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will now consider using part of the £35 million contingency budget for a Scottish course to train tutors of lip reading.

Mr Sam Galbraith: There are no such plans. However, Donaldson’s College administer a course to train tutors of lip reading. Students enrolled on the course usually fund themselves or are sponsored by employers. Local authority staff are eligible for funding from the £5 million budget provided by the Scottish Executive for in-service special educational needs staff development and training.

Meat

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received the Food Standards Agency task force report into meat hygiene inspection charges and, if so, whether it contains recommendations to (a) underwrite the costs of veterinary inspection at low throughput plants and (b) place a cap on charges; what response it will make to such recommendations and others within the report, and whether it will make a ministerial statement on this issue.

Susan Deacon: I have been advised by the Food Standards Agency that the Meat Hygiene Inspection Charges Task Force report was published on 26 June. The report is available on the FSA website and a copy has been placed in SPICe.

  The report recommends that inspection charges for all plants should be no greater than the EU standard charge, irrespective of the actual costs of veterinary inspection in any particular plant. The Scottish Executive in conjunction with other UK Agricultural Departments and the Food Standards Agency are considering the report of the Meat Hygiene Inspection Charges Task Force. An announcement will be made in due course.

Meat

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the planned veterinary supervision levels, in conjunction with the existing Meat Hygiene Service charging arrangements, will cause any closures of small and medium-sized local abattoirs and cutting plants; if so, what assessment it has made of the number of any job losses, and what implications will there be for animal welfare, given that, if such abattoirs and cutting plants close, animals will have to be transported over much greater distances.

Susan Deacon: Ministers recognise that the increased levels of veterinary supervision may increase cost pressures in parts of the meat industry. No detailed assessment has been made of the additional impact of this particular factor.

Medical Research

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any firms or hospitals have been commissioned to undertake research into the human genetic code.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive is funding research relevant to the human genetic code. The projects have not been commissioned: the funding has been allocated following consideration of applications by a process of Research Committee and peer review. Details of current projects are available from the National Research Register (NRR), a copy of which is in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

  A recent Executive Research Committee agreed to fund, to a total value of nearly £660,000, five further projects on this subject. When started, their details will also be available on the NRR.

Midwifery

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many midwives are currently employed broken down by health board and NHS Trust.

Susan Deacon: The latest information available centrally on numbers of midwives employed in the NHS in Scotland by health board and Trust is shown in the table.

  

 


Number


WTE




Scotland


3,626


2,962.8




Ayrshire & Arran


263


217.4



 


Ayrshire & Arran Acute Hospitals 
NHS Trust


259


213.8



 


Ayrshire & Arran Primary 
Care NHS Trust


4


3.6




Borders


81


69.5



 


Borders Acute Hospital NHS Trust


48


40.5



 


Borders Primary Care NHS Trust


33


29.0




Argyll & Clyde


335


260.6



 


Argyll & Clyde Acute Hospitals 
NHS Trust


268


208.9



 


Lomond & Argyll Primary Care 
NHS Trust


67


51.8




Fife


190


147.1



 


Fife Acute Hospitals NHS Trust


190


147.1




Greater Glasgow


624


526.9



 


Yorkhill NHS Trust


187


158.9



 


South Glasgow University Hospitals 
NHS Trust


173


146.5



 


North Glasgow University Hospitals 
NHS Trust


264


221.5




Highland


270


213.8



 


Highland Acute Hospitals NHS 
Trust


122


92.8



 


Highland Primary Care NHS Trust


148


121.0




Lanarkshire


323


265.6



 


Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals NHS 
Trust


305


249.8



 


Lanarkshire Primary Care NHS 
Trust


18


15.8




Grampian


387


308.5



 


Grampian University Hospitals 
NHS Trust


279


224.6



 


Grampian Primary Care NHS Trust


108


83.9




Orkney Health Board


19


16.9




Lothian


426


340.1



 


Lothian University Hospitals 
NHS Trust


320


256.0



 


Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust


1


1.0



 


West Lothian Healthcare NHS Trust


105


83.1




Tayside


300


249.7



 


Tayside University Hospitals 
NHS Trust


252


210.2



 


Tayside Primary Care NHS Trust


48


39.5




Forth Valley


198


169.1



 


Forth Valley Acute Hospitals 
NHS Trust


192


163.7



 


Forth Valley Primary Care NHS 
Trust


6


5.4




Western Isles Health Board


43


33.9




Dumfries & Galloway


133


112.4



 


Dumfries & Galloway Acute 
& Maternity Hospitals NHS Trust


106


87.4



 


Dumfries & Galloway Primary 
Care NHS Trust


27


25.0




Shetland Health Board


34


31.2




  Source: National Manpower Statistics from payroll, ISD Scotland.

  p provisional.

  Notes:

  1. Comprises hospital and community midwives and combined duty nurses where these duties include midwifery.

Midwifery

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many midwifery students graduated last year and how many found full-time permanent employment (a) in Scotland, (b) elsewhere in the UK and (c) outwith the UK.

Susan Deacon: During 1999-2000, a total of 191 students in Scotland successfully completed courses leading to registration as a midwife.

  Information on the employment status of these students is not held centrally.

Midwifery

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many colleges and universities currently offer a course in midwifery and how many students are currently enrolled on these courses.

Susan Deacon: Seven institutions in Scotland offer pre-registration midwifery diploma courses. The details are as follows:

  Five institutions offer both a three-year and an 18-month shortened pre-registration course in midwifery. These are:

  Glasgow Caledonian University

  Napier University, Edinburgh

  University of Paisley

  University of Stirling

  The Robert Gordon University Aberdeen (18-month only until 2001)

  Two institutions offer only a three-year pre-registration course in midwifery. These are:

  Bell College Hamilton

  University of Dundee

  As at 31 March 2000 there were 491 students in training on three-year pre-registration courses and 115 students in training on 18-month shortened pre-registration courses in midwifery.

Midwifery

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to spend any of the additional allocation or underspend in the health budget on creating more midwifery posts.

Susan Deacon: There are no plans to ring-fence moneys for midwifery posts. However, each health board and Trust will be able to take decisions on local demand for midwives.

Midwifery

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is issued to health boards and NHS Trusts on the length of time between a vacancy in midwifery staff arising and it being filled.

Susan Deacon: The recruitment of NHS in Scotland staff is a matter for local employers and no guidance is issued by the Scottish Executive Health Department on the length of time between vacancies arising and being filled.

Ministerial Correspondence

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why the Minister for Health and Community Care has not replied to correspondence from Professor Sir Alfred Cuschieri with regard to the cancer treatment unit for Tayside.

Susan Deacon: I have written today to Professor Sir Alfred Cuschieri expressing my regret that he had not received an earlier reply to his letter about the Scottish Image Guided Microtherapy Unit at Ninewells. I explained that no discourtesy was intended, as the delay was due to an administrative oversight, which the Scottish Executive Health Department very much regretted.

  In view of the recent media publicity this issue has received, I should make clear the Scottish Executive’s position, which is that £2 million from the Capital Modernisation Fund has been earmarked for this project, and we have no intention of reneging on that commitment.

  The source of the running costs of the project has still to be established, however. In May last year, the Trust wrote asking for confirmation that central revenue funding would be identified for the project. The reply made clear that capital funds had been earmarked by the Management Executive on the basis that the Trust would ensure sufficient revenue funding was available across the life of the project. The reply also pointed out that no additional revenue funds were available centrally. The Trust has therefore been aware of the position since May 1999, and there should have been no grounds for confusion on the issue.

  The Chief Medical Officer is to meet Professor Cushieri to discuss the future development of the centre.

Ministerial Correspondence

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Health and Community Care will reply to my letter of 16 May 2000 regarding funding levels for Interferon treatment in Tayside.

Susan Deacon: My response to Ms Robison was mailed on Wednesday 12 July 2000.

New Opportunities Fund

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made representations to Her Majesty’s Government about the failure to date of the New Opportunities Fund to make any awards in Scotland.

Rhona Brankin: Since July 1999, the NOF have funded £7.5 million worth of out-of-school childcare and learning projects across Scotland. They have also allocated nearly £22 million to local authorities for ICT training for teachers and librarians.

Raptors

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to improve the protection of birds of prey in Scotland given the findings of the report of the UK Raptor Working Group.

Sarah Boyack: I have asked Scottish Natural Heritage to consult interested organisations and provide formal advice to me on the recommendations in the UK Raptor Working Group by spring 2001. The Scottish Executive will give careful consideration to SNH’s advice before responding to the report.

  I recently announced my intention to publish a policy statement setting out proposals to better manage our natural heritage. This will include measures to tackle wildlife crime based on the work undertaken by the Scottish Working Group of the Partnership against Wildlife Crime.

Regional Selective Assistance

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) applications were granted and (b) what was the value of assistance given to each local authority in each year since the RSA was introduced.

Henry McLeish: The number and value of RSA offers accepted for each local authority since 1 April 1996 is given in the table below. Detailed information on grants in the form requested is not readily available prior to local government reorganisation and could not be provided except at disproportionate cost.

  

 


Number of RSA 
offers accepted




Local Authority


1996-97


1997-98


1998-99


1999-2000




Angus


*


4


8


*




Argyll & Bute


0


0


*


0




Clackmannanshire


0


*


*


4




Dumfries & Galloway


3


3


3


*




Dundee City


4


3


5


8




East Ayrshire


11


14


17


15




East Dunbartonshire


3


4


3


7




East Renfrewshire


*


*


*


3




Falkirk


4


3


4


10




Fife


25


22


28


28




Glasgow City


34


32


35


48




Highland


*


*


0


0




Inverclyde


6


4


3


5




Moray


0


0


0


*




North Ayrshire


11


15


13


11




North Lanarkshire


27


32


29


36




Renfrewshire


13


14


10


14




South Ayrshire


7


9


5


5




South Lanarkshire


25


39


25


21




West Dunbartonshire


4


8


3


10




West Lothian


26


21


20


23




Western Isles


0


*


0


0




  * Information has been suppressed to protect company confidentiality.

  

 


Value of RSA offers 
accepted




Local Authority


1996-97


1997-98


1998-99


1999-2000




Angus


*


0.4


1.0


*




Argyll & Bute


0.0


0.0


*


0.0




Clackmannanshire


0.0


*


*


0.2




Dumfries & Galloway


0.2


0.4


1.0


*




Dundee City


0.4


0.1


1.2


3.0




East Ayrshire


3.9


2.7


1.0


2.3




East Dunbartonshire


1.1


1.1


0.2


12.3




East Renfrewshire


*


*


*


0.8




Falkirk


0.7


0.4


0.2


2.1




Fife


9.1


49.1


15.6


11.9




Glasgow City


6.8


7.9


11.5


22.0




Highland


*


*


0.0


0.0




Inverclyde


0.5


6.5


0.7


6.1




Moray


0.0


0.0


0.0


*




North Ayrshire


18.4


2.6


7.6


8.1




North Lanarkshire


69.9


13.0


8.0


6.1




Renfrewshire


11.0


5.1


0.9


4.5




South Ayrshire


2.1


3.1


1.4


0.2




South Lanarkshire


11.4


41.3


9.6


10.8




West Dunbartonshire


2.0


1.3


0.2


3.2




West Lothian


10.1


33.3


12.4


45.5




Western Isles


0.0


*


0.0


0.0




  * Information has been suppressed to protect company confidentiality.

Right to Buy

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average selling price per council house sold to sitting tenants was for each local authority in the last years for which figures are available.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The information requested for 1998 (the latest year available) is detailed in the table below. This can also be found in table 13 of the Scottish Executive Statistical Bulletin,  Housing Trends in Scotland: Quarters Ending 30 June and 30 September 1999  (HSG/2000/2).

  Copies of this bulletin are available from SPICe, and an electronic version can be found on the Scottish Executive Website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk.

  Information for earlier years can be found in bulletins HSG/1998/6, HSG/1997/7, and HSG/1997/3, all of which are available from SPICe.

  Summary Information on Right to Buy Sales of Public Authority Dwellings: 1998¹

  


Area


Number of Sales


Mean Selling Price 
(£)




SCOTLAND


14,101


15,169




Local Authority


13,592


15,190




Aberdeen City


804


18,111




Aberdeenshire


295


20,162




Angus


208


16,580




Argyll & Bute


169


15,717




Clackmannanshire


119


17,096




Dumfries & Galloway


366


15,360




Dundee City


321


12,857




East Ayrshire


435


12,685




East Dunbartonshire


149


18,606




East Lothian


203


19,919




East Renfrewshire


85


16,154




Edinburgh, City of


665


14,831




Eilean Siar


47


15,235




Falkirk


446


15,074




Fife


833


14,779




Glasgow City


1860


12,984




Highland


629


17,141




Inverclyde


405


11,580




Midlothian


191


19,233




Moray


120


19,077




North Ayrshire


341


13,633




North Lanarkshire


1456


14,631




Orkney


37


17,444




Perth & Kinross


249


17,280




Renfrewshire


506


13,953




Scottish Borders, The


159


15,061




Shetland


48


20,469




South Ayrshire


343


14,574




South Lanarkshire


1168


15,106




Stirling


164


17,844




West Dunbartonshire


275


14,815




West Lothian


496


16,506




Scottish Homes


509


14,597




  Notes:

  1. Includes Right to Buy, Rent to Mortgage, and voluntary sales.

Roads

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Transport and the Environment will meet residents of Loanhead, Midlothian, to discuss concerns about any dangers posed to the proposed A701 by the Clippers landfill site and the old limestone workings.

Sarah Boyack: No; it is for Midlothian Council as local roads authority to take whatever action it considers necessary in developing its proposals to upgrade the A701.

Roads

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the A92 bridge over the South Esk at Montrose needs to be replaced and what statutory or other responsibilities it has to keep such a route open.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is aware that Angus Council as the local roads authority is currently planning for a replacement of the Montrose bridge. It is entirely a matter for the council to take whatever action it considers necessary to keep the route open during the construction phase of a replacement bridge.

Roads

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the expected life span is of the A92 bridge over south Esk at Montrose.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive does not hold the information requested since this bridge is the responsibility of Angus Council as the local roads authority.

Roads

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7951 by Sarah Boyack on 28 June 2000, when the review of road safety on the A90 will be completed; when the results will be published, and when an action plan will be completed.

Sarah Boyack: The report of the review of the road safety measures implemented as part of the A90 Balmedie to Tipperty 1996 Route Accident Reduction Plan is expected by the end of July. The report will be considered by the Road Network Management and Maintenance Division. Any measures identified to improve safety will be programmed for implementation in the current financial year subject to the availability of funds and other competing priorities.

Rural Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it has made or plans to make into the methods by which other EU states provide assistance to rural areas, including motorists and businesses in these areas, to tackle extra costs as a result of (a) higher fuel prices, (b) remoteness of location and (c) distance from market.

Sarah Boyack: The Executive seeks to keep abreast of developments on rural transport across the EU and elsewhere, whether directly or through the work of others; for example, the review by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar on support for remote rural areas in Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Skye Bridge

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider Professor Robert Black’s opinion on the legality of the collection of tolls on the Skye Bridge.

Sarah Boyack: Professor Black’s opinion appears to mirror the points of appeal that were rejected by the Appeal Court, the High Court of Justiciary in the stated cases of Smith, Miller, McMorrine and Robbie the Pict on 16 December 1999. The assignation statement complies with all the statutory requirements as set out in Paragraph 14A of Schedule 1 to the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984. The Appeal Court was satisfied as to the legality of the collection of tolls on the Skye Bridge.

Skye Bridge

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what response it will give to the opinion of Professor Robert Black that the Assignation Statement in respect of the Skye Bridge tolling regime is not a probative document.

Sarah Boyack: The statement assigning the rights to charge and collect tolls for the Skye Bridge crossing is valid even though it is not a probative (or self-evidencing) document. It complies with the requirements of paragraph 14A of schedule 1 to the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 and the Assignation Statement (Prescribed Information) (Scotland) Regulations 1991. The Appeal Court, the High Court of Justiciary, in the stated cases of Smith and others v Procurator Fiscal , Dingwall, considered submissions that the Assignation Statement did not satisfy those requirements. On 16 December 1999 the court, in its decision, rejected these submissions.

Student Finance

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4883 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 16 March 2000, whether it is aware of the data compiled by the Council for Dance Education and Training which shows that over half of local authorities are no longer prepared to support dance and drama students through discretionary bursary awards and whether, in the light of this information, it will reconsider its views on establishing a centrally held Hardship Award similar to that operated by the Department for Education and Employment in England and Wales.

Peter Peacock: I am aware of the study by the Council for Dance Education and Training.

  As I said in my reply to you on 9 March, discretionary bursaries are a matter for local authorities and the Executive has no plans to change the current system.

Teachers

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers were employed in Scotland, in total and expressed as a full-time equivalent figure, in each year from 1979 to 2000.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The information which is available is set out in the table below. The total number of teachers has only been recorded since 1991. Figures for 1999-2000 are not yet available.

  


Teachers in Schools in Scotland



 


Total


Full Time Equivalent




1979


N/A


58,938.1*




1980


N/A


57,582.6*




1981


N/A


57,510.3




1982


N/A


55,949.6




1983


N/A


55,000.3




1984


N/A


54,094.7




1985


N/A


53,354.6




1986


N/A


52,764.8




1987


N/A


52,035.1




1988


N/A


51,722.5




1989


N/A


52,198.7




1990


N/A


52,632.7




1991


61,361


52,541.9




1992


61,532


52,696.0




1993


61,399


52,831.2




1994


61,636


53,231.0




1995


60,846


52,995.7




1996


60,408


52,551.0




1997


59,857


52,159.0




1998


60,976


53,082.3




1999


N/A


N/A




2000


N/A


N/A




  N/A = Not Available.

  *FTE for 1979 and 1980 does not include teachers in the independent sector. This sector contributed 1,568.5 to the 1981 FTE of 57,510.3.

Water Authorities

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers to be the implications of the Competition Act 1998 for Scotland’s water authorities.

Sarah Boyack: The Executive published its consultation paper Managing Change in the Water Industry on 15 June. The paper sets out the Executive’s proposals for responding to increased competition in the Scottish water sector, including that encouraged by the Competition Act 1998.

Water Authorities

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the names of the chairmen of each of the water authorities, specifying in each case their salaries, any pension or other benefits received, the overall cost of these positions to the water authorities, and whether any of the chairmen are members of any political party and, if so, which party.

Sarah Boyack: Information on the level of each Chair’s remuneration is set out in the table below. Information is not held on membership of political parties. On appointment, water authority Chairs are, however, required to declare any political activity within the past five years. Robert Cairns, Chairman of East of Scotland Water, is a Labour Councillor on Edinburgh City Council. Colin Rennie, Chairman of North of Scotland Water was a Labour Councillor on Dundee City Council until May 1999.

  


Authority


Chairman


Annual Salary


Annual Benefits




East of Scotland Water Authority


Councillor Robert Cairns


£27,000


£1,648 pension 
contribution




West of Scotland Water Authority


Professor Alan Alexander


£25,000


£4,000 pension 
contribution




North of Scotland Water Authority


Colin Rennie


£27,000


£3,000 pension 
contribution.
£8,000 taxable 
benefit to meet commuting and subsistence costs between Dundee 
and the Head Office in Inverness.

Water Authorities

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who the new chief executives of the water authorities are, what the current value is of their individual salaries and benefit packages and what the last place of employment and former job title was of each.

Sarah Boyack: All three chief executive appointments were made following open competition. Two new chief executives were appointed by the North and East of Scotland Water Authorities and will take up post in July 2000. West of Scotland Water Authority re-appointed their incumbent chief executive. The information requested is as follows:

  


Water Authority


NoSWA


ESWA


WoSWA




Chief executive appointed


Katharine Bryan


Jon Hargreaves


Ernie Chambers




Basic Salary


£105,000


£130,000


£120,000




Performance-related bonus


Up to 10% of basic 
salary


Up to 10% of basic 
salary


Up to 10% of basic 
salary




Non-pensionable & taxable 
benefits


£10,000


Nil


Nil




Pension contributions


12%


13.2%


12%




Previous position


Regional Director, 
Environment Agency - South West


Managing Director, 
Northumbrian Lyonnaise International


Chief Executive, 
West of Scotland Water Authority